The 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference "Altai – the Ancestral Homeland of the Turks. Toward the History of the Origin of Turkic Civilization" concluded in the Altai Republic. From September 16 to 18, scholars and government officials from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Hungary, China, Mongolia, and other countries gathered at the Menzherok resort. Altai State University was represented by a large delegation led by Rector Sergey Bocharov.
The university’s attendees included Rector Sergei Bocharov; Yulia Lysenko, Director of the Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies; Alexei Tishkin, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Museology; Nikolai Seregin, Head of the Laboratory of Ancient and Medieval Archaeology of Eurasia; Ivan Nazarov, Director of the Institute of History and International Relations; and Abylabek Asankanov, Professor, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, Director of B. Dzhamgerchinov Institute of History, Archaeology, and Ethnology, and leading expert at the Center.
Many conference participants also took part in the IV International Altaic Forum, held in Barnaul from September 15 to 17. At the opening ceremony of the conference "Altai – the Ancestral Homeland of the Turks. Toward the History of the Origins of Turkic Civilization," welcoming remarks were delivered by Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Medinsky, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society; Yerlan Karin, State Counselor of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Marat Imankulov, State Secretary of the Kyrgyz Republic; Anatoly Seryshev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Siberian Federal District; and Andrei Turchak, Head of the Altai Republic.
Renowned archaeologist and RAS Academician Anatoly Derevyanko, who closely collaborates with Altai State University and heads its laboratory for the interdisciplinary study of the archaeology of Western Siberia and Altai, delivered a lecture on "The Origin of Denisovans and the Concept of the Formation of Modern Humans – Homo Sapiens."
Abylabek Asankanov spoke about the work of The Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altai and Turkic Studies and presented the results of research conducted during international ethnographic expeditions to Altai. The academician also moderated one of the sessions.
Altai State University Rector Sergey Bocharov chaired a roundtable discussion titled "Prospects and New Formats of Humanitarian Integration in Eurasia: Educational, Scientific, and Media Projects." The event brought together prominent figures including Inom Majidov, Rector of M. Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan; Mukhtar Tolegen, Rector of East Kazakhstan National University; Dogdurbek Chontoyev, Rector of Kyrgyz National University; Khan-Durdy Kurbanov, Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of History and Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan; Igor Silantyev, Director of the Institute of Philology at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Yulia Lysenko, Director of the Greater Altai Research and Educational Center and Head of the Oriental Studies Department at Altai State University; Ivan Belekov, Advisor to the Head of the Altai Republic; and Trofim Tatarenkov, TV presenter, blogger, and public figure. During the roundtable, Sergey Bocharov and Yulia Lysenko presented Volume II of the "Chronicle of Turkic Civilization."
Alexey Tishkin moderated the session titled "Research on the Material Culture of the Peoples of Eurasia," delivering a report on the findings related to a stone sculpture discovered by I.-R. Aspelin in Central Altai. Additionally, Nikolay Seregin presented a report on "The Current Stage of Research on Altai Turkic Archaeological Sites: Results and Prospects," while Ivan Nazarov spoke about "Hunting Traditions in the Modern Life of the Kyrgyz in Southern Kyrgyzstan."
“The conference in the Altai Republic is thematically closely aligned with our Altaic forum and focuses on analyzing the processes that shaped the emergence of Turkic civilization in Altai. It is encouraging that the work of our Center is highly regarded by both the Government and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, underscoring the vital importance of expanding archaeological and ethnographic research in this region,” noted Yulia Lysenko.
Following the conference in Manzherok, a resolution was adopted highlighting the imperative to study Turkic heritage and to strengthen collaborative partnerships between countries.